


Puer Cimex

by countallurteeth



Category: Frank Iero - Fandom, Gerard Way - Fandom, MCR - Fandom, My Chemical Romance, frerard - Fandom
Genre: Faeries - Freeform, Frerard, Gay, M/M, fae, mlm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26189683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/countallurteeth/pseuds/countallurteeth
Summary: Gerard is an entomologist. And a terrible one. However, after a bump in life, he decides to pursue his passion again, moved from the streets of Jersey to the cliffs of scenic Ireland. The woods there, of course, have plenty of insects. And beautiful men who just so happen to have eyes that shine like a beetle in the sun....
Relationships: Frank Iero/Gerard Way, Ray Toro/Mikey Way, Rikey - Relationship, frerard - Relationship
Comments: 19
Kudos: 30





	1. In the beginning

Gerard was an entomologist. And not a well received one. He was currently making his way up to his brother’s cabin, up a long, steep hill, to the most isolated place he’d been so far in his life. He’d grown up in the city, Jersey to be precise, and had long overstayed his welcome. Jersey had no place for a wide eyed boy with a fixation on butterflies. His eyes had long closed now, only sailing at half-staff these days, if even that. His home was gone and so was his very reason or motivation to study. Gerard really had tried his best, but had been rejected in the end. All the hope had been drained with the banks, which was the reason his eyes were fixed on the hardly trodden path before him. His father claimed the study of bugs was too ‘gay’, and the banks claimed he couldn’t sustain himself. His house was gone, some other family barely staying afloat moving in. The city was not kind, not to a man like him.    
  
As he strode up the hill, everything he owned on his back, he neared the top. His breath had vacated long ago, smoking and preservation chemicals claiming this capacity for stairs. In fact, that’s exactly what Gerard thought this place needed. Stairs. It was a cliff in rural Ireland, a few day’s boat trip and plenty of vomiting. Early morning had struck, just barely dawn, and Gerard stood at the top of the cliff. There was just woods, a cabin and the ocean as far as the eye could see. It was so….calm. Such a slow-down from city life. It felt far too ancient, far too dead for his liking. What had he even come here for?    
  
Oh. Right. Mikey.    
  
Gerard’s brother, Michael James Way, ran out of the cabin in an excited manner. His husband, or legally, his ‘roommate’, Ray, walked out much slower, rubbing his eyes. His curls were tied back in a low sort of ponytail, his brother Mikey with a cut much too short to do anything like that. Mikey had moved out here with Ray long ago, to an isolated place where no one would mind. Homosexuality was still a crime in Jersey, so they’d been fored to come somewhere...secluded. It greatly helped with Mikey’s anxiety as well, which had only been proven by how he was running over. Back when they were young, Mikey couldn’t even breathe too loud around anyone. Now, they were embracing in public for that matter, and Ray was making his way over to join. 

“Oh, Gerard! It’s so good to see you!” Ray cheered, wrapping his arms around the two of them. He was strong, built like the words ‘Grizzly bear’ and ‘Piano strings’. His skin was gently tanned in the sun, the light presumably from gardening that absolutely would’ve given Mikey a sunburn. 

“Hello, Ray.” Gerard greeted with a fake drag in his tone, similar to how a child reluctantly tells their mother they love her. Mikey, well, he was too busy burying his head in Gerard’s shoulder to talk. Ray let go eventually, long enough for the two to interact. The two had their own non-verbal language, as did Ray and Mikey. He understood, as Gerard did too.    
  
Gerard, gently scooping up Mikey’s face, stared at his younger brother. Mikey didn’t stare back for a moment, eyes averted. He tried to open his mouth, but no words came out.    
  
“Hey- It’s okay, Mikes. You’re safe with me. I promise.” Mikey put his hands over Gerard’s and met his eyes, just for a fleeting moment, grinning. Mikey nodded, adn Gerard let go, pulling the other into a brief yet passionate hug. See, Mikey was mute. By choice, not by biology of course, but it still hurt him in a way to try and speak. Same with physical contact, and eye contact… Gerard didn’t mind of course, but it was another reason he and Ray had decided society wasn’t in their best interest. 

Mikey took a meek step back, reaching for Ray’s hand. The two stood side by side, Gerard still holding everything he owned. It wasn’t too too much- A large bag on his back, mostly journals and pencils, a few outfits. Gerard didn’t really have much to his name, now that his house was gone. It was relatively empty anyway, and anything he couldn’t bring, he’d sold. He’d even had to sell his entire collection of bugs, just for enough money to make it here. It had been worth it, though.    
  
Long nights on the sea grew cold, and he felt he had changed from the moment he’d realized his life was about to fall to pieces. They had no mercy to them. There he stood, on a mountain top with his brother and his brother’s husband, and he found himself confused on where he would go from here. Firstly, he needed to start collecting again.    
  
“So…” Gerard looked around a bit, brushing his long, oak hair behind his ear. “How do you guys….live out here?” Gerard was not well versed in the ways of rural life. It was normal to him to be able to walk to a tavern or a market, but it had taken him at least an hour to get from the closest civilization from here. 

“Well, I have my garden...Mikey is friends with some farmers in town that have cattle, and that gives us pretty much all we need. We trade around here instead of using money.” Ray explained all of this in his usual manner, sort of like the dad figure. Even though Gerard was older than Mikey, sometimes he still felt like a kid around these two. “I sell my extra vegetables for flour and meat. It’s all we really need- and we can always travel out further if we need anything else. One of our friends has horses we can borrow.” 

Gerard just caught himself staring off at this point, unable to focus on what Ray was saying. There was something about the forest that caught his eye, the call to just  _ stare _ He’d have to check it out later, since the day was still so young. It felt like it had been robbed of him in a way. Such a happy reunion, and yet, Gerard was so weary. He’d traveled across an entire ocean and to a whole new land. A whole new time zone, too. It already hurt in his bones, a deep pain that ached for the hum of the city. He missed all the life there. Empty, empty, empty. 

Mikey grabbed Gerard’s hand, still holding on to Ray’s, dragging the two of them inside the cabin. The yard had grass up to Gerard’s ankles, and his hair fell into his face to blend in with the grass. He noticed every little glimmer and shine, and decided he’d decide on it another day. For now, he wanted to ground himself. Smelling the dewy grass, the old smoke from a fire in the cabin. 

The cabin was small, two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a large room that doubled as a kitchen and bedroom. The home was nice, hand-built by Ray as well, which added to the overall vibe. There was love in this household, and anyone could feel it. 

Mikey showed Gerard to where he’d be sleeping, and low and behold, it was wonderful. There were paper butterflies and frogs and bugs of all sorts all over the room, hanging from the ceiling like a mobile. 

“Oh, you guys didn’t have to-”   
  
“Ah ah ah. None of that, G. We did this because we wanted to make you feel more at home.” Ray protested, and sure enough, Mikey produced one more butterfly from his pocket. Gerard took it gratefully, letting his bag slump to the floor as he stared into his hands. It was so little, and yet, so much. A paper butterfly. Gerard decided, then and there, he could never let it go. 

“Thank you. For everything, really. Thank you.” Gerard piped up after a moment or two. Ray snorted, shaking his head.    
  
“Don’t thank me now. Thank me when I spare you from gardening with me for a few hours. Something tells me you’d burn in an instant if I made you do any yardwork.” Ray chuckled, and meandered off to do better things. Mikey lingered there for a moment, sort of hesitant to leave. Gerard sensed this of course, and nodded, giving Mikey a shy yet content look. Gerard didn’t smile too often. 

“I’ll be okay Mikes. Thank you.” Gerard reached over and ruffled up Mikey’s hair, which the other let out a grunt of discontent. It was a dismissal of sorts, and Mikey was on his way off to do other things as well. 

Gerard took this time to unwind, to relax, to unpack what little he had. He’d kept his favourite butterfly pressed in a book, which upon opening it, one of the wings fell off. Even that hadn’t survived the trip, and now, Gerard felt a woe beyond most things. The only piece of his old life he had left, let alone his favourite part of it. It had glittering shades of gold in it and it shone blue, purple undertones and a soft orange around the rims. It was a wonderful butterfly of course, but it was now broken. What was the point anymore? Gerard felt like that butterfly in a way. Broken. Jammed into a book of things he did not want to be jammed into. He couldn’t shed a tear, but by god, did he want to. He had been drained by the world, drained by those who wanted to crush what he loved. It was a pain unlike anything he’d ever had to describe, and even now, he was failing to think of words. 

Just his luck. 

The day passed on, and Gerard’s eyes glazed over, the world phasing in and out of importance. He just flipped through his old journals, staring longingly, unable to really comprehend how he was supposed to move on. 

Dinner came swiftly, and Gerard wasn’t exactly sure how to help. The pair worked like clockwork, Ray chopping up vegetables, tossing them over his shoulder and Mikey catching them in a pan. They set some meat to warm on the stove, a large metal piece that heated up the whole house. Apparently, the nights got cold here, and this would be running nearly around the clock. Gerard was already wearing his warmest attire, and had a blanket wrapped around his shoulders as he sat on a stool by the table. He had many more blankets back in his room, as well as the feeling that he would need all of them. Just his luck, Gerard had very poor circulation, and was undoubtedly going to freeze to death. No exaggeration there. He missed the days when he and Mikey could cuddle, and keep each other warm without worrying about what was going on outside. It felt weird to ask now that Ray was there. 

“This all smells so good….I haven’t had a nice meal like this in….I don’t know how long.”   
  
“Oh for heaven’s sake! No wonder you’re so skinny! See, Mikey? I told you he lost weight.” Ray elbowed Mikey, and of course, they both gave Gerard the concerned parental look. 

“I’m fine, I swear it. I just...get caught up sometimes. Forget to make dinner. And besides, there’s no need to do something this extravagant when it’s just me.” Gerard explained all this, eyes fixated on the meal to come. It looked absolutely delicious, especially since his meals mostly convinced of whatever he had around, whether it be bread and cheese or jam and crackers. And that was a three meals a day, mind you. The only way he made money was by selling his insects, or his art about insects, and that obviously wasn’t in such high demand. He was lucky if he could feed himself through the month, and even if some random nobleman or person with plenty of money bought some of his work, it only lasted so long. 

This life, here with Mikey and Ray, would be different. He couldn’t feel it yet, but he was trying to convince himself of it. They were self-sustaining, and doing a fabulous job of it. They didn’t need the city life, so why did Gerard? Maybe this is all he needed. Nothing more, nothing less. 

“Well, there will be no ‘forgetting to eat’ in the Toro household.” It was Mikey’s turn to elbow Ray now, the larger man letting out a small ‘oof’ as he clutched his ribcage. Mikey’s boney elbows really did hurt. “Sorry,  _ our _ household. Old habits die hard…?” Mikey just shook his head, pulling Ray into a kiss. It was Gerard’s instinct to gag. Not homophobia, he saved that for internalization. More so in the feeling of seeing parents kiss. Gerard had been turned into the child in most situations, never really taking care of other people. It was always poor Gerard, too lost to get out of bed some days, and unable to climb back in when he wanted it the most. 

“You guys are gross. For real- I’ll never get PDA.” Gerard complained, rolling his eyes. His hair flopped out of the blanket like a leaf over his eye.   
  
“Once you have a girl-” Ray started, realizing how stupid it was to say. “Sorry, once you have a  _ special someone _ , you’ll understand.”    
  
As far as Gerard could claim, he’d never seen beauty. 


	2. Oddly Placed Thicket

When Gerard awoke the next morning, his throat felt dry, like he’d been crying all night. Obviously, had hadn’t been- He was up until a bit after sundown with Mikey and Ray, the three of them chatting, even though only two of them like to speak. They spoke of life, of the couple’s makeshift wedding. Ireland was infamous for being conservative and against people like the lovers here, but their small village of sorts was all for it. There had been flowers and horses and cake made of violets, Ray recounted, clearly very excited about the whole ordeal. It had been over two years ago, and yet, the wedding bands they both wore shone in the light of the fire. Gerard was jealous of them, even he could admit. Jealous of the unconditional love they had, the way they just sort of...existed together. It was wonderful, and Gerard envied it deep in his bones. 

Maybe he had been crying. In his sleep, presumably. His eyes felt like ‘mauve’ and ‘citrinite’. Dry and used, like he’d been swimming in lemon juice. Undoubtedly, if he’d been crying, then he’d been heard. It was a weird sort of silence they had to have there, the looks he know he’d receive, Mikey always worrying. Gerard was supposed to be the strong one, but recently, he felt like the stray pup in a group of lions. He’d been strong through bullying, through years of rejection and hatred, even though the world hardly knew anything about him. And yet, of course, Mikey was here, living with his  _ husband _ and living life happily. Gerard was jealous beyond words. 

When he did drag himself out of bed, pried the tear-stained shirt off his back and put on another one. He’d have to wash the shirt later, hoping the Hosts had a running spigot as well. He made his way out into the kitchen, and luckily, there was no concerned words. In fact, no words whatsoever, because the couple was nowhere to be seen. Perfect.    
  
Gerard needed his alone time. He needed space to breathe, to exist on his own with just his thoughts and no one else's. An empathetic creature, Gerard always found himself lost in what everyone else thought, and would often get too overwhelmed to even think for himself. It was a rough way of going about life, but he managed. Then again, living alone for years and years really made him feel at ease. Now, it just felt bizarre to wake up  _ knowing _ there would be other people there. 

The day dragged out long, much like the night. Everything felt...mundane. Wooden stools lay no mercy to the floor, as Gerard moved it back and forth sharply, listening to the sound. Absorbing the sound. Without his insects, what was he supposed to do? He missed his moth-filled attic, his hive of honeybees in a spare room, that constantly drove his neighbours crazy. He missed home. Was that too taboo? A city that hadn’t treated him kindly, world that didn’t even really like him, and he missed it. How pathetic of him. 

  
  


The day faded, Ray and Mikey came home, and everything fell into a routine for the next few days. Gerard helped with household chores, Mikey taught him how to cook a thing or two, Ray made him carry in firewood. Gerard’s arms would ache just after a few loads, but Ray made it look like it was nothing. Ray was already fairly muscular anyway, so of course, he took it upon himself to “toughen G up”. Normally that would be paired with some homophobic comment, but thankfully, that wouldn’t happen in this case. 

“You look horrifically thin, G- And something tells me you’ve never actually tried to exercise in your life. Some firewood will do ‘ya good.” Ray insisted, and Gerard just agreed. Feeble bones from being malnourished, poverty making it quite possible indeed to do many of the things most people considered to be ‘self improvement’. It wasn’t a new concept, trying to mold yourself into this idea of perfection Gerard never quite understood. Why was a waist you could fit your hands around or muscles that could shred through a shirt suddenly the standard? They had only just come out of a pandemic a few months ago, and those that survived looked ghastly thin. The standards had skyrocketed, and even as the august heat set in, April still bore over the world. The pandemic was the reason he lost so much, mostly money and sunlight exposure. It was time to find a new way of life, one that could actually sustain him. 

Sunsets faded into sunrises, afternoons to late dawns. Time moved slowly as Gerard struggled to adjust. The light never seemed to end, and yet, neither did the darkness. They were stuck in a loop, a tango through a bowl of gelatin claiming no winner or quitter. They were stuck. Gerard was stuck. He felt like this was all one long day, no sense of time passing through his mind. It was just the same day, the same ins and outs and business he didn’t want to attend to. Never ending days, never ending dusks. 

Mikey and Ray had been exchanging looks back and forth this morning, including a few barely audible whispers from Mikey. That only happened when Mikey was really upset, or nervous to be specific. Gerard knew he was the cause of this apprehension, and it only really made him feel worse about it. 

“G…” Mikey piped up, bracing himself against the table. Gerard sat on a stool on the opposite side of said table, and he could sense the tension like a cicada trying to burst through its shell. Insects hadn’t been on his mind in forever, and yet now, it was trying to peek in. Not quite effectively so. 

“Yeah, Mikes?” Gerard asked, raising an eyebrow at his brother. The younger seemed apprehensive to talk, especially in such a tense situation. “What is it?” He would have Mikey write it out, but Mikey shot Gerard a look, and he knew the other was hellbent on speaking this time around.

  
  


“We’re...worried about you.” Mikey explained, Ray sneaking up behind him and rubbing his back. Gerard felt weird again, but he was trying to get used to it. “You haven’t been doing the things you like. Like you’re getting depressed or...something.”   
  


Gerard made the bold decision to play it off as a joke. “What? I have no clue what you’re talking about, seriously.” 

“You haven’t said the words ‘insect’ or ‘bug’ since you’ve been here.” Ray answered, straightening up a little bit. “Aren’t insects your favourite thing? It’s all you ever used to talk about.”

“Well- I’ve been really busy…” Gerard averted his eyes. “And besides, I had to sell all my equipment to get here, and to afford meals for a little while. I don’t have my magnifying glasses or my dissection equipment or anything.” Gerard was really on a tangent now, the man talking with his hands like a true Jersey kid would. “And of course, I can’t afford a new journal to keep my thoughts in, let alone make one myself. Plus, I have not seen a single damned insect out here!” He’d risen his voice at this point, but that was the end of things, Gerard slumping back down and letting out a small huff. “And they called  _ insects _ , not ‘bugs’.”

“See, that’s what I mean. You’re so passionate about them.” Mikey chimed in, cracking a small hint of a smile. 

“Mhm! Plus, you haven’t even gone in the woods yet. It’s absolutely  _ bursting _ with insects.” Ray suggested, trying to smile Gerard’s way. He crushed it with a glare, and when Ray seemed a bit hurt, he lightened the look. He wasn’t genuinely angry, just a toddler throwing a scene in the eyes of those much more ancient. 

“Yeah, well….Like you said with the sun! I’ll melt!”

“Gerard, you’re actually tanning right now.” Mikey pointed out, making his way to Gerard to pick up the other’s exposed hand. Sure enough, it was much darker than the bit of collarbone exposed, looking much more alive in the sun’s lipstick. 

“Yeah, well…….” Gerard just rolled his eyes, prying his hand free to put his head in. “If I go in the damned forest will you two leave me be?”

An excited little cheer came from the couple, and Gerard just had to groan. He hated them sometimes. 

“Oh, you’ll have to take Mikey with you sometime! He needs some sun too.” Ray joked, though he did this little wiggly thing with his eyebrows that made it seem like it wasn’t a joke at all. Mikey let out a dorky laugh and gently shoved Ray, meaning to deter the other rather than to do harm. The couple got in a shoving match from there, back and forth, forgetting that Gerard was even there. It only reminded him he was oh so replaceable, easily forgot in a world so memorable. Fuck, this was really getting to him, huh? All this melancholy bullshit is why he had no friends, outside of his brother and his brother’s husband. How pathetic. 

Gerard just sort of slugged his way up, making his way to his room with his feet shuffling like moth wings. Insects hadn’t been on his mind in far too long, and now that he realized that, he saw them in everything about himself. Hands like ant legs, or rather like the proboscis of a butterfly. Stretching and curling nervously as he stopped to examine himself. He either passed everything by, coasting over the fields of time, or saw...everything. All at once, he was hyperaware, and it was an interesting feeling indeed.    
  
He needed his bugs.  _ Insects _ . 

Making a sweep through the already cluttered room, Gerard grabbed every tool he had, every little item he would need. A pen, another pen, an extra pen just in case, his journal, his secondary, pocket sized journal (both almost full of course), a magnifying glass, and of course, a nice, floppy hat. He added a sweater to the shirt he already wore, a bit big on him, just for protection from the sun. A sunburn wasn’t too far out in his future at the rate he was going, so he needed to be sure. Plus, it would probably come in handy later, unbeknownst to him. 

And with that, Gerard set off into the woods, with cheering from the couple far behind at the cabin. And of course, they were right. It was downright bursting with life, dragonflies whizzing around his head, bees nestled in their little hives all over. There was a downright  _ swarm _ of butterflies, and the further he traveled in, the more intense it got. It was everything he had ever needed and more, and he spent at least an hour just near the entrance drawing everything. 

When he chose to venture deeper, he had his journal in hand, and hat fixed tightly onto his head. It was black, and had a red ribbon on it that trailed down his crooked spine. He’d found it on the street and fixed it up nicely, and at this point, you would never have even known it wasn’t brand new. He adjusted it a bit, eyes widening as he heard something...loud. Very loud. A rustling like an animal of sorts, like the fluttering of wings, but of a creature much bigger. Naturally, he was going to investigate it. 

Gerard broke into a run, excitement pumping his veins full of the need to  _ let go _ . Be a child for once. Try and chase after the inevitable idea of nothing being there, but by god, wasn’t it worth the chase? He pushed through branches, almost dropping his journal once or twice, but still going as fast as he could. The creature went left and right, dodging fallen logs and low hanging bushes. Gerard got closer, and the creature ran slower. He was finally close, seeing flashes of brown and white and black. When it stopped, however, he stopped. And he was staring a deer dead in the eye. 

The deer blinked. 

He blinked back.

The two stood there like this for a while, caught in a gaze between doe eyes. Gerard’s were hazel, the deer’s were black. Both so beautiful, and yet, lost in the triviality of life. The deer shifted a bit, and bounced off to it’s other affairs, leaving Gerard in the dust behind an oddly placed thicket. 

An oddly placed thicket?

Curiosity taking over again, Gerard pushed through the woods carefully, stepping through, but freezing as he heard voices. He peered all the way through with just his eyes, and- Just his luck, he fell right through the unstable little brambles. Eyes wide once again, he felt like the deer in this situation now, because before him lay quite the sight. Many small creatures, like little balls of light, elegant wings of all colours and sizes, hovering in the air. One had those similar to a Swallowtail butterfly, except they were a pastel pink, shining in a unique iridescence under the muted forest light. Another had similar wings, except the main body of the wings was a dark grey, the outline a bold and sensual purple. Their faces were small, but distinct. They had eyes larger than dolls, smooth curves, bodies of all shapes yet slightly indistinct from the glow. The biggest maybe ‘stood’ at about a foot tall. Gerard’s analytical brain was running wild. Insect-like creatures were his specialty. 

Also, there was a man there. A beautiful man, who locked eyes with Gerard in an instant. He had lips as plump and pink as anything, eyes wide, but not inhuman like the others. His eyes were the greenest green Gerard had ever had the pleasure of witnessing, and his dark cherry wood-brown hair lay in loose, fluffy curls around his face. The tattoos spanning across his body were magnificent, a butterfly across his entire chest, two more butterflies kissing at his navel with roots and leaves of ivy twisting and turning around them. The ink spanned across the man’s entire slight frame, even into parts covered by his own flesh. Gerard was stunned by this mystery man, and said mystery man simply blinked at him. 

Oh, and he was naked. 


	3. Beetle-eyed

Gerard blinked a few times, and the man blinked back. It was sort of like a secret code between the two, if either of them knew enough morse code to communicate in silent dots and lashes. 

Those glowing creatures all made noises of panic, shooting off into the woods in all different directions. They were gone in a flash, hurting Gerard’s eyes, even, and he winced. The other man’s eyes widened, as if he realized Gerard was real, not just a blinking tree. The other man winced in mimic, and Gerard took his turn to let his eyes widen.

“Uh...hello.” Gerard greeted, the other man seeming to think it was bizarre that he could speak. The stranger was still very naked, and Gerard was trying his best not to let his eyes wander. Oh, those tattoos were beautiful, though. They spanned across the stranger’s chest and stomach, even down to the other’s hips. The stranger didn’t seem to have any shame or care really about the fact he was naked, just sitting casually as he had before Gerard had arrived. 

The stranger did not speak, rather squirming a bit, seemingly uncomfortable. He got up to apparently walk away, but Gerard held out his hands as a means to halt the other. “Wait- Please don’t leave.” The stranger froze- so apparently he knew English, and turned back to face Gerard.    
  
_ Fuck _ , those eyes were beautiful. They shone like the back of a beetle, iridescent greens and firm, unwavering browns. Gerard got lost in them for a moment, swimming in the moss and decay of the forest living in the other’s eyes. Of course, the odd man was rather confused by this whole display, first moving a bit, and when Gerard didn’t break eye contact, he moved a little closer. Reaching out to touch Gerard’s face, he pushed the other’s cheek away with both hands, forcing Gerard to break eye contact. He did indeed break eye contact, shaking his head a bit, the stranger’s shoulders bouncing as if he were giggling, though no noise came out. He didn’t seem to be able to talk, and Gerard couldn’t help but notice this was oddly reminiscent of The Little Mermaid, even if it wasn’t intended to be so. 

“Sorry...Your eyes are beautiful.” Gerard apologized, but the man just nodded a bit, as if to acknowledge his eyes were, indeed, beautiful. Gerard just rolled his eyes, and the stranger smiled for the first time that Gerard had seen yet. It was a mischievous smile, a look like he knew exactly what game he was playing. 

  
It took them both a second to realize they were still touching, the odd man’s hands still on Gerard’s cheek. He was shorter than Gerard, which made it a little weirder still, at least in G’s own mind. They awkwardly let go of each other, Gerard clearing his throat, and the other making a weird noise as if to imitate Gerard. Interesting. Gerard would have to take notes. 

“Do you...need anything? Do you have a home? My, do you even know where you are?” 

The other just shook his head, one of the few gestures he knew that he’d picked up from others. 

“I suppose that doesn’t help. Do you even have a name? I never asked.” Gerard queried, but the other simply shook his head again. “That definitely changes things…” What was Gerard supposed to do? Leave this beautiful man out in the forest? That didn’t seem like the right thing to do, especially to someone who looked so...innocent. Helpless. He  _ had _ to help. Not because he found this stranger absurdly attractive or anything…

The stranger looked away for a moment, like he was considering something, and he looked back to Gerard not long after. Taking Gerard’s hand, he gave the other a look as if to say ‘Let’s go!’, and Gerard’s heart melted right then and there. His heart was always quick to attach, and never quick to let go. Something about getting attached to the man in the woods felt like it would be the death of him.

  
  
  


“What  _ are  _ we going to call him?” Ray asked, leaning over the counter. The strange man was sitting in a stool next to Gerard, one of his larger shirts draped over the small creature’s slight frame. It fit like a dress, sleeves over his hands almost like paws. Mikey looked like a frightened cat, pressed close to Ray in the most casual way possible. Mikey didn’t like strangers. 

“I’m not sure, to be quite honest...I can’t think of a name that would suit him.” Gerard confessed, turning to eye the other out of his corners. The stranger looked up from his lap, meeting Gerard’s eyes, and the two got caught there again. Ray and Mikey gave each other a look, a sort of acknowledgement they were both seeing the same thing here. Gerard and whoever this was clearly were already infatuated with each other, and it was fairly plain to see. 

“How did you find this man again? Are we sure they’re a man?” Ray questioned, Mikey nodding to try and emphasize the point. Gerard broke the eye-contact, and the other went back to swinging his feet off the seat much too tall for him. He was about five feet, a whole nine inches shorter than the shortest one here. 

“Well- I can’t say for how they want to express themselves… But they were...naked when I found them….” Gerard hadn’t possibly thought this might not be a man. Of course, Ray and Mikey were better versed in these sorts of things. Gerard had been the one who had to ‘mask’ his identity so to speak. His parents were too busy hating him for staring a little too long at his old best friend for them to notice Mikey was off with his boyfriend at the time. Now husband. Wow, how time goes by. Gerard was still very much closeted, mostly to himself. The concept of liking everyone baffled him, and the idea that he may not be fully male scared him even more so. He’d set all of this aside in his depressed slump, and since he wasn’t quite out of it, he decided now wasn’t the time to think about it. 

They all stared at the peculiar stranger from the forest. The emerald eyes blinked back, buggy and wide, like they could cry or laugh at any moment. 

“Frank. Their name is Frank.” Mikey spoke up, and sort of as they say, ‘he’d spoken’. Mikey had the final say with a lot of things, mostly because he thought a lot longer than the other two before actually doing something stupid. It wasn’t like either Gerard or Ray had a better idea. “Make it Francis or Frankie if they want something feminine, I don’t know.”

“Does that sound okay?” Gerard asked, and the stranger-  _ Frank  _ nodded, a blank look on their face that looked oddly calm. Content, Gerard supposed. 

“Frank it is!” Ray exclaimed, smiling his usual, warm smile. Mikey gave Ray a look, then Gerard a much different one. The Ways knew how to communicate like that, jut with looks. Mikey’s said ‘this wacko better not hurt me or my husband or I will fucking end you’ and Gerard’s said ‘C’mon, Mikes, they’re gorgeous, just give it a chance’. Mikey shot back a ‘I will end you, that is a promise’, and Gerard just gave the other puppydog eyes. 

“Uh...Am I missing something?” Ray asked, brushing a curl behind his ear. 

“No, no.” Mikey reassured, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes. “It’s nothing. We should get Frank some pants.”

  
  


Gerard lead Frank back to his room, mostly since his clothes were on the chopping block. Mikey had made all of their clothes, and was still working on new ones for Gerard. Therefore, they were not to be wasted on some rando who didn’t know how to make any facial expression other than the ‘low’ hum of a factory. Part of Gerard wondered if there was even anything going on in that pretty little head of Frank’s. 

“I have some pants you can wear- hold on, let me find them.” An inhuman noise came from Frank, almost like the purr of a cat and the buzz of a cicada. Well, that was something to block out of his memory. Gerard just shook it off, dismissing it as some sort of clearing one’s throat. It sounded close enough to that. Yeah. 

Gerard turned around, pants in hand, and Frank was close. Very close. And they just moved closer, too, until they were touching. Gerard couldn’t breathe. Frank looked excited. They took Gerard’s face in both hands and guided it down so their noses were touching, and that’s when Gerard actually started holding his breath. Frank’s eyes were trained on Gerard, and Gerard’s eyes wanted to look anywhere but at Frank. But there Frank was, grinning, a deep shine in their eyes like Gerard had never seen. 

“Hi.” Frank greeted, and Gerard blinked a few times. 

“Uh...hi.” Frank’s breath smelt like violets and sugar and wine. Gerard was lost again, just like that. 

“Frank.” Frank stated, nodding. This read like a miracle of sorts, if Gerard had ever experienced one. 

“Yeah, that’s you…” Gerard stated awkwardly. Frank searched in Gerard’s eyes for something, staring, prying the cap open and diving in. “B-Before I forget- Are you a girl- o-or a boy or something else-?” Gerard was stuttering now, stumbling over his words, cheeks sort of red. Frank was still staring, and he was getting more and more flustered under the gaze. 

Frank thought for a moment. “Boy.  _ Man _ . He. M’ not picky, though.” Well that certainly answers that. Gerard was starting to feel like he would pass out, and he decided to pull away. Frank’s hands trailed with him, but quickly let go, the smaller man blushing now. “Sorry.” 

“I-It’s fine. Here. I’ll leave you to it.” Gerard bashfully handed Frank the pants and bolted out of there, slamming the door shut behind him. Ray and Mikey were outside, gardening together Gerard guessed, as they usually did. They were always doing random ‘coupley’ things, even though that concept hadn’t really been invented yet. Only people really happy together want to do yard work together. Gerard would never understand it. 

He draped himself over a small couch they had, closing his eyes, thinking about his day. He’d met a beautiful man who apparently didn’t speak much but liked close physical contact. That was all he could even really think about, completely ignoring the balls of light or the weird noises Frank made. There was just no need to recognize them in Gerard’s mind. It was just a normal day, a normal guy he’d found in the woods, a normal everything.    
  
When Gerard opened his eyes, it was hours later, and Frank was standing above him, staring worriedly. He still had that blank expression, just tinted a little, like he was still learning how to express that feeling. In fact, a lot of Frank seemed like he was just learning. Must’ve been a sheltered kid or something. Maybe he was ill, and that’s why he was in the woods. Gerard never thought of that. 

Frank poked Gerard’s chest, and the latter let out a weird little noise of surprise. Frank knitted his brows together, looking up. The pants fit him much too big, and it appeared Mikey had tacked them up to be capris, some sort of makeshift belt peeking from underneath the large shirt. 

“I told you he’s not dead, Frankie.” Ray chimed in from somewhere Gerard couldn’t see, presumably in the kitchen where the back of the couch blocked his view. 

Frank poked Gerard again, and the man sat up, rubbing his eyes and running his hair back down against his head. Frank backed up a bit, and Gerard just took a moment to really look. Huh. Frank was beautiful. 

“Keys…” Frank mumbled, and ran- yes, ran- out the door. Ray sighed loudly, shaking his head. 

“God, his feet are so dirty.” Ray turned to watch Frank run, the smaller man making his way to Mikey. Mikey was picking flowers, and when Frank did reach the other, he stopped running. In fact, he stood watch, clearly fascinated by Mikey and what he was doing. “G, can you get a broom and sweep quick? I’d make Mikes do it, but so far, he’s the only one who can make Frank calm down. What the hell did you do between when he first came and now exactly?” Ray raised his eyebrows at Gerard accusingly, and G covered his eyes for a moment. He couldn’t exactly recall doing anything….

  
  


“I don’t know- He was the same before and then he did this weird thing where he got really close to me- Did Mikey give him sugar or something?” 

“We don’t really stock much sugar, and I have it pretty well hidden, because knowing Mikes, he’d make all our food...only sugar.” Ray let out a little snicker, and honestly, it reminded Gerard of his past. Mikey got to make bread approximately once with their Ma, and he added at least five too many cups of sugar. From then on, it was Gerard’s job to cook. For a family so angry about Gerard’s inherent femininity, they sure did make him do a lot of ‘feminine’ things, at least for those days. “And he got close to you? What do you mean by that?”

“Well, I was getting him pants, and when I turned around he grabbed my face and pressed our noses together. I don’t know what the reason for that even was.”   
  
“Sounds like an eskimo kiss. Are we sure he’s not just shy around other men?” Ray shrugged, and gave Gerard a look. You know.  _ The look _ .

“Oh, no. You are not trying to set me up again.”   
  


“What? C’mon, G, you’ve been single for years. I know you’ve had….reason to be, but seriously, it’s time you move on.”

“You really want me to hit on a random stranger who’s probably ill that I found in the woods?”   
  


“You brought him into our house.” Ray shot Gerard a challenging look. “So you had to have a reason for that, naturally.”

Bollocks. Gerard had been caught. 

“Listen,” Gerard shuffled in his seat, turning so he was facing Ray. Out of sight, Frank was petting a bumblebee like a microscoping cat. “He’s just- Well- Augh!” Gerard put his head in his head, Ray chuckling and proclaiming sweet victory. 

“I  _ knew _ it.”

“Shut up.”

“You only helped him because he’s pretty.”

“...And because he was naked in the middle of the woods.” 

“ _ Gerard! _ ” Ray scolded jokingly, and the scientist’s cheeks went red. “You really just think he’s hot.”

“Wah- Fu- No!” Gerard was stumbling over his words at this point, which didn’t help his case. It just made him seem more guilty. He felt more guilty. 

“C’mon, admit it.”   
  


“Admit what?” Mikey asked, making his way into the little cottage. Frank wasn’t far behind, hands covered to the elbows in dirt and dried on mud. It was really adorable, actually, and Gerard couldn’t help but smile. 

“You’re a fuckin’ mess, Frank- Come here.” Gerard got up and took Frank’s muddy hand, leading the other to the spigot outside, mildly glaring at Ray the whole way out. 

“That Gerard only picked Frank up because he thinks he’s hot.” Ray explained, and no sooner did he look out the back window, Gerard was giving Ray the death glare. Mikey just snickered and rolled his eyes. 

“‘Coulda told you that.” Mikey replied, and he grabbed a pot from under the stove. “How many pies can I make at once before you stop me?”

Ray gave his husband a wary look, the look of a very obviously tired man. “Three. Please go easy on the sugar.” Mikey grinned like the bastard he was and grabbed the ingredients, ducking through the kitchen and grabbing random things here and there, even pulling out the sugar from Ray’s not-so-secret-anymore hiding spot. This was just how they worked, apparently, as chaotic as it seemed. 


	4. An Offering

Frank had passed out on the couch not long after sundown, and Ray was already asleep in the two’s bed, leaving Gerad and Mikey up talking late. Mikey commented on how Frank acted like a child. Gerard agreed. Mikey asked if he was sure Frank wasn’t actually a child. To be honest, Gerard was hoping that wasn’t true. He had an adult bone and facial structure, but not really the mannerisms of one. Theoretically, one would retain the wildness of their home, and that would make sense if Frank had been in the woods very long. The green-eyed man twitched in his sleep on the couch, rolling over and hugging himself. Gerard double checked to make sure he was asleep. 

“I feel like I’m already a mother- Me and Ray wanted kids, but not like this.” Mikey explained, rolling his eyes. 

“Listen, I’m sure he’ll come around. Maybe he’s just having fun. Or maybe we just need to teach a thing or two…”

“He ate a cricket whole, Gerard. Ate. A. Cricket.”

“That doesn’t really make sense.”

“ _ Exactly _ . I really don’t know why you insist on keeping him around.” Mikey was always the first to complain. That was just Mikey. 

“He just…” Gerard looked over at the sleeping figure and smiled. Mikey grimaced. “He needs our help. I could feel it. And- I’m sure he won’t be a bother or anything. I can watch him.”   
  


“Good. ‘Cuz I have work to do, contradictory to popular belief.” Gerard stuck out his tongue at his brother, and Mikey stuck up his middle finger. Touche. 

  
  


Long after Mikey had gone to sleep, Gerard lay awake in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Maybe he only really did help Frank because Frank was beautiful. It would make sense. Gerard was something of a hopeless romantic, really. Still hung up on a lover from forever ago, and yet, he could practically feel  _ his _ hair intertwined in Gerard’s grasp, the rough stubble nestled against Gerard’s neck, the gentle highlights of ginger hidden behind an ocean of black for everywhere except one little patch. Gerard saw ghosts in this Ireland moonlight. 

He hadn’t even realized he’d fallen asleep until he was awoken. Frank was slinging his other legs over Gerard, straddling the other’s chest and holding on with both of his legs. Gerard couldn’t breathe. Frank blinked. Gerard blinked. Maybe this was how he died. Frank got in close again, and time seemed to move in slow motion as he pressed his lips to Gerard’s. The scientist’s eyes flashed open wide, but quickly snap shut, as if someone was reminding him this wasn’t inherently bad. Confusing, yes, but not inherently bad. Maybe a little bad. Maybe this was a dream. If he fell asleep again, he wouldn’t remember the soft lips against his, the dark hair glowing a sonata in the pale light, the skin caught in a similar light, and the eyes glowing like some sort of cat. This was normal. Totally normal. 

  
  
  


“You two have  _ got _ to be kidding me.” Ray snorted, laughing out loud. Gerard’s eyes snapped open at that dorky little laugh, and he could feel Mikey glaring holes into him before he could feel the arms wrapped around him. He looked to his left. Frank was sleeping, clinging to him for dear life. He couldn’t see to his right, just feel the other two staring. 

“I fell asleep on my own, I swear it.” Gerard cussed under his breath, face getting red as each second ticked by. 

“He’s telling the truth. I was cold.” Frank stretched out his arms, winking quickly at Gerard before rolling to the other side. Nobody moved. It took Frank a few moments to realize they were all staring at  _ him _ now, not quite Gerard anymore. He sat up, brushing some of his overgrown hair behind his ear. “What?”   
  


“You can talk?” Ray asked, raising an eyebrow. Mikey looked like he was searching for the nearest blunt object. 

“Of course I can talk. What do you mean?” 

They all blinked. Together this time. Huh. 

“Anyway, breakfast is ready.” Ray explained hurriedly, pushing Mikey out the door, following, and then slamming it closed behind him. The two talked in loud whispers. Mikey was still looking for that blunt object. 

“So you just….talk.” Gerard asked, still gawking at Frank. Frank’s voice was smooth yet rough, like worn cobblestone and mud that’s just a bit gritty. 

“Yes.”

“And you chose not to?”

“Yes. Why is that such a taboo thing?” Frank sounded frustrated now. 

“Well- You were running around like a child yesterday. I’m pretty sure you ate a cricket.”

“Crickets taste good.” Frank shrugged and got out of bed, climbing over Gerard to land into a stretch, his joints popping and his shoulder blades peeking through that shirt that was much too big. He’d fallen asleep in the same clothes as yesterday, and there were muddy footprints at the bottom of Gerard’s bed. Gerard watched Frank stretch, eyes raking up and down the other’s body before quickly flitting away. He got shy much too easily. 

And like that, Frank waltzed out of the room, leaving the door wide open as he danced on the balls of his feet. By ‘waltzed’, Gerard really meant waltzed, because Frank was twirling and snickering and apparently having a blast. Part of him wanted to join Frank. The other part was still terrified about what the hell was happening. 

Gerard got some pants on and rushed out to the kitchen, sitting down at the counter. Frank was already sitting there, legs neatly crossed, hands folded on the table. 

“Are you sure you’re…’better’?” Ray asked, holding a plate of pancakes, raising his eyebrows. He set them down in front of Frank, who said a small ‘thank you’, and started eating them with his hands. He didn’t tear them or anything like that, just ripped chunks of it off like candy. 

“Needs more sugar…” Frank mumbled, continuing to eat them regardless of his complaint. Mikey shot Ray a look that said ‘SEE!’, and Ray just rolled his eyes. “But yes, I am much better now. Thank you for being patient with me.”

Mikey was glaring like Gerard had seldom seen before. The look didn’t seem to phase Frank, but it made Gerard nervous on his behalf. Frank just kept eating, and Mikey made a noise similar to a growl. 

“Mikey, I really don’t get the issue.” Gerard spoke up, and the almost growl turned into a real growl. Part of Gerard had forgotten this was how Mikey got. His brother was very….territorial. Of course, this had all been lost during the times of living under their parents’ roof. There can only really be one ranked assailant, and a whole lot of rabbits. 

“He’s- Look! He was eating bugs and playing in the mud yesterday! What the blazes happened?” 

“I...really don’t know.” Gerard admitted, sighing softly. Frank took another bite of pancake. Ray took Mikey’s hand, sort of afraid of what would happen if both hands were free. Mikey wasn’t really dangerous, not in the way you’d think. He was just...quick to anger, and quick to do something he’d regret for the rest of his days. Anger is a taught behavior, and violence runs deep through blood. The brothers just expressed this in different ways. “He’s just sorta-”

“Doing my thing. Trust me, Mikes, I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t fucking call me Mikes.”    
  
The room went silent for a bit. Frank had stopped eating his pancake. 

  
  


“Oh.” He stared at Mikey blankly, bottom lip jutted out just a bit in a weird display of apology. It was like he was sort of grasping the concept, but not quite. Just left of human. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”

  
“Mikes, stop being so mean to him.” Gerard protested, scooting a little closer to Frank. “You’re being rude on purpose and you know it.” Another stare battle. These were starting to freak Frank out, and he very clearly got antsy. Ray just sort of sneaked around Mikey, grabbed the plate of pancakes and Frank with them, and brought everything outside. No sooner did he close the door, a screaming match erupted. Good timing, Ray. 

He sat down, crossing his legs on a patch of grass just far enough from the house that he could hear, but it wasn’t too loud. He motioned for Frank to sit down too, and he did, resuming nibbling on his pancakes. Frank ate slower. 

“Don’t sweat it, kiddo. They used to fight like this all the time. You get used to it.”   
  


“Did I do that?” Frank asked, voice timid. Ray didn’t expect it. 

“Well, not on purpose. Mikey is just worried about us, and G’s...not great at calming people down. They’ll sort it out.” 

“What if they don’t?” 

“They will.”

“Bu-”

“I said they will, Frank. How old are you again? It feels sort of weird to call you kiddo if you could be older than me...and just have a real bad baby face.”

“How old is Gerard?”

“Same as me. Twenty eight.” 

“Oh. I’m… hm…” Frank thought for a moment, furrowing his brows. “Twenty four. Yeah. Sounds right.”

“Yeah, I can call you kiddo.” Ray reached over and ruffled Frank’s hair, and Frank’s first instinct was to bite. His teeth would hurt Ray, though, and suddenly, that was the last thing he wanted. He scrunched up his eyes and grinned much to wide, only making Ray burst out laughing. “That’s adorable, Frank. Good job.” Frank dropped the look and nodded, running his own hands through his hair as if to feel. 

“Soft.”

“Yup. Did you just wash it or something?”   
  


“Wash?”

“Frank?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re fuckin’ weird, man. But it suits you.” Ray snorted before saying this, shaking his head. His curls bounced with his head, and Frank stared for a moment before considering humans might not really like that. The screaming had stopped, only momentarily, as if they were listening. Ray could make out a distinct ‘Oh now you shut up’, and the fighting broke back out again. Frank’s shoulders went tense, but Ray just patted his shoulder, and the smaller man calmed down. 

“Don’t worry about it. C’mon, let’s go plant some flowers.” Frank abandoned his pancakes at that, getting up and breaking into a sprint over to the flowerbeds. Ray wasn’t even sure how the hell Frank managed- It took him at least a good ten seconds to get up and walking. A lot about Frank was mysterious, he supposed. Why waste time wondering, when Frank was apparently eating another cricket. “Frank? Frank what are you- Not again.” Ray ran over, and Gerard watched him go. Mikey had already stormed off and slammed the door loud enough to scare the shit out of Gerard, as well as mildly shake the house. 

Their fights never really went ‘great’, if a fight even could. They’d both absorbed their parents’ anger, just in different ways. They both became quiet- some more than others-, but one liked to explode, and one liked to implode. Neither of them could really help it, and it wasn’t like they really caused harm other than to the occasional door. Their father was explosive, and their mother was just passive aggressive. Never any ‘real’ harm, just yelling and the occasional glare and micromanaging and- Gerard was starting to feel sick just thinking about it. He hated that he’d been taught this behavior, too, and as much as he wanted to break out of this cycle, it seemed all so hopeless. 

“G?” Frank asked, tapping his shoulder. Gerard jumped. Apparently, he’d been lost in thought. 

“Yeah? What is it?” 

“Here.” Frank opened his palm, and in there, was a beetle. It was dead, of course, but completely intact. As if someone had just drained the life out of it, not in a dark way. It radiated love, if that could make any sense. 

Gerard picked it up and smiled just a bit, turning it over in his hands. His hands were sweaty, and Frank took note of that. 

“Good?” Frank asked hopefully. He was starting to sound like Mikey with the one word replies. 

“Yes.  _ Yes!  _ Thank you, Frankie.” Gerarard leaned forward to hug Frank tightly, and suddenly he didn’t remember being so affectionate. “Thank you.” Frank nuzzled closer, not quite hugging back, but resting his face in the crook of Gerard’s neck. His breaths were quick and warm against Gerard’s skin, and it made Gerard’s knees go wobbly. Good thing he was sitting down. 

“Frank, Frank-” Gerard interrupted, having to pry the other off his body. “Let's….put this away, yeah?” Frank looked disappointed, but nodded, holding out his hand for Gerard to take. Maybe having someone else around wouldn’t be too bad. 


End file.
